The Warrior Vampire by Kate Baxter

the door. He’d feel a whole hell of a lot better if he were armed with more than his fangs, but there was nothing to be done for it. A low growl built in his chest. The feeling of vulnerability triggered an instinctual need to protect himself and his lip curled in a snarl. Gods damn it, calm the fuck down.
    A sliver of light shone through the cracked door and cast a long, bright gash across the dark brown carpeting. She led with her hand, dagger extended, and Ronan suddenly felt the urge to chide her for coming in that way. What was she thinking? An attacker could easily disarm her and leave her defenseless. Ronan reached out and grabbed her wrist, twisting it behind her with ease. With his free arm he seized her around the waist, pulling her tight against him. It didn’t take much effort to pluck the strange dagger from her hand when she was immobilized this way. Something she should have known had she been half as badass as she’d pretended to be.
    With a quick flick of his wrist Ronan sent the dagger flying to the far end of the room. The blade lodged itself in the drywall and he hoped it stayed there. He didn’t like the way it felt in his hand, the warmth pulsing from the handle like a heartbeat. His captive’s ribs expanded under his arm as she took a deep breath, and he slapped his hand over her mouth to stifle her building scream. “Quiet.” His mouth brushed the delicate skin behind her ear and Ronan’s thirst blazed hot in his throat. “I can snap your neck with little effort. Don’t make me do it.”
    She stilled for a moment as though she’d decided to play nice. But then she dug her teeth into Ronan’s hand and bit down on his fingers, hard . He pulled his hand away with a yelp, shaking out his hand, surprised she hadn’t bitten through the damned bone. And she didn’t stop there. The bite was nothing more than a distraction, and she used it to her advantage. She threw her elbow into his stomach and Ronan grunted as she slammed her back into his chest. It put him off balance and he stumbled, his head knocking against the wall with a thump. Wow, that so didn’t help the steady throb that made him think his brain was trying to escape his cranium.
    Okay, so he might have underestimated his mate’s fierceness in battle. But at least now the odds weren’t tipped in her favor. He was free, she was disarmed, and despite the fact that he was still weakened from the silver, he had one up on her in strength. Problem was, he wasn’t interested in hurting her. “Calm down!” he barked as he tried to catch his breath. She kicked her leg straight back, catching him in the knee. “Damn it, stop!” he shouted from between clenched teeth as he braced himself against the wall to keep from buckling. She reared back, slamming the back of her head into his face. The cartilage in Ronan’s nose popped and a sticky trickle of blood ran down and dripped from his upper lip. His fangs throbbed and the scent of his own blood threatened to send him into a frenzy. “Naya! I said, stop!”
    They both froze, and Ronan wasn’t sure which one of them was more shocked. He released his grip on her and swiped at the blood trickling from his nose as the cartilage healed. That was her name: Naya. But how in the hell did he know that?
    â€œI knew you were lying to me!” Naya seethed as she rushed to the wall where he’d thrown her dagger. Ronan wondered at the hurt in her voice. As if she couldn’t believe he’d betray her. Perhaps she’d recognized their tether after all? She pulled the dagger out of the drywall and muttered almost to herself, “I should have taken care of this last night when I found you in that parking lot.”
    If she wanted to continue to fight, she couldn’t possibly have felt their bond. Then again, maybe she was the sort of female who liked to play rough. A thrill chased through Ronan’s